Amphetamine
by sleepyCJwritesSTUFFnow
Summary: One lived, but one was also jaded, destroyed, and had nothing left to cling to for merely surviving is not living. One-shot.


_**January 9th  
**__**City of Atlas  
**__**Kingdom of Atlas  
**__**Downtown  
**__**3:13 PM**_

Ozpin stared at the small woman standing in front of him. "This is impossible. Leora?"

"I thought I was dead too," She said, pushing up her large, round glasses and then brushing aside her messy, dark red hair. "Turns out I wasn't, or maybe I was, but either way I ended up coming to and the first thing I saw was mom. And Leora isn't my name anymore. Its Amphetamine."

"Amphetamine," Ozpin said, looking at his daughter in worry. "What happened?"

"I don't know!" She exclaimed, tossing up her hands in frustration. "But I have been…conscious for the last four years, and now, at nineteen, I'm –"

"I can tell you're intelligent, you don't need to tell me that," Ozpin sighed heavily as he leaned on his cane. "A few weeks ago, I did something horrible –"

"You can't be any worse than mom," She said dryly. "Also, you should know that you're both outgunned and outmanned. Your odds of defeating her in all this are slim at best."

"If that's true, why are you here?" Ozpin's brow furrowed in confusion as he eyed his daughter. "Leora – Amphetamine – you are never going to be safe, and your legacy is going to follow you forever."

She sighed heavily, further icing over the sidewalk as her powers as a sorceress activated. "Because, in Atlas, you can be a new man."

Ozpin was silent for a long moment and then embraced her tightly.

"I honestly thought that she had killed you," He said as he released you. "All of you."

"I don't know what happened," She said as they began to across the street towards Atlas Academy. "And there are a lot of holes in my memory."

"I'll try to fill you in as best I can," He said. "But a lot has changed."

Leora snorted. "That's an understatement, and what was it you did that was horrible?"

Ozpin hesitated. "I'm not sure I should say."

"If you don't tell me, I'll figure it out," She informed him. "It's not as if I haven't done that before."

He considered that and then nodded shortly. "The Relic of Creation, in Atlas Academy, has the capacity to break the laws of physics and create something from nothing to the capacity of bringing back the dead. A few weeks ago, I used the Relic to completely overtake the soul I had merged with to return to this form: Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy."

She raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like you took a page out of mom's book."

"I'm not proud of it," He told her. "But I needed to do this."

"That I believe," She said, pulling out an ID and scroll as they approached the gates of Atlas Academy. "I have clearance," She sent the guard a pointed look as he ran her ID through the system. "Amphetamine Mills, Valerian, nineteen years, full security clearance as an investigator for the Valerian Council."

The guard stared at her for a moment but then waved her and Ozpin through.

"I take it we're going to see General Ironwood?" She said, and he nodded. "Anyone or anything else?"

"Amphetamine," Ozpin said as they stepped into an elevator. "Qrow Branwen, Glynda Goodwitch, and James are going to be there and, all things considered, I'm going to ask you to do something you never were able to do: talk less, smile more."

She scowled. "That's not funny."

"It wasn't a joke," Ozpin said, sending her a sharp look. "I'm being completely serious."

She sighed. "You do know that they're going to tear each other to pieces, right?"

Ozpin shook his head. "That's not…entirely true."

She laughed dryly. "Jesus Christ, this will be fun."

They stepped out of the elevator and all but immediately ran into Glynda.

"Oz," She said shortly, then looking to Leora. "Who are you?"

"Amphetamine Mills," She said with a faint smirk. "Full clearance investigator for the Valerian Council."

Glynda raised an eyebrow. "You look like a teenager."

"That's true, I'm nineteen," She replied. "But that doesn't change fact, now does it?"

"Hmm…" Glynda crossed her arms with her crop in hand while they stepped into James' office. "How exactly did you manage that, Miss Mills?"

"I wrote my way up," She said with a sassy edge. "Although, in fairness, I really managed it by proving my skill to the Council. Almost landed me in jail, though, so I don't recommend trying to rise the way I have."

"Ozpin, good to see you," James smiled upon seeing them. "And Miss Mills. I was wondering when you would finally make it to Atlas. You know the Council wants you on the security board."

"I suppose," She said, then scowling at Qrow, who had been taking a sip from his flask in the corner. "Qrow."

"Amine," He said dryly. "Are you still a self-righteous –"

"Are you still an alcoholic?" She bit off. "Or is that sweet tea you're drinking from your flask?"

He scowled. "That's nice of you."

"You all are aware of my…true history with Salem, now," Ozpin paused for a moment and then started to pace. "Miss Mills is not merely a talent…she's my daughter."

Qrow looked to him in shock. "What?"

"FYI," She said, sending him a slightly disdainful look. "We're outgunned, outmanned, and we're all going to die."

"You are such an optimist," Qrow said dryly. "Maybe you should start giving us all speeches on hope."

She rolled her eyes. "You're improbable."

"And you're a selfish bitch," He replied. "Am I allowed to ask what's wrong with you?"

"You are, but you may regret it," She snapped. "Do you have any idea what I've been through –"

"Can we have some sanity here?" James sent them all a sharp look. "This isn't conducive to anything that we're after."

"If that's victory, you're going to die," Amine sighed. "And not in a pretty way."

"Such a pessimist," Qrow glanced to James. "She reminds me of you."

He sighed. "Amine –"

"I tell myself the same thing you're telling yourself," She shook her head. "Don't you know that there are some things that can't be defeated? I went out west to find the sun, but I found no one so I came here and what am I? I look like a teenage anthem. I could have broken away clean, and I could have been happy in another life, but I'm fucked up. At the end of the day, no matter how hard we can focus, we all amount to nothing whether or not we take our pills and believe everything will be alright. That's not how the world works. That's not how any of this will ever end."

Glynda sighed. "Amine, I don't even know what to say."

"I do," She replied. "Ashes turn to ashes while dust turns to dust which is, in the end, all that's ever left of any of us. Human beings are the most arrogant species on the planet, and I know that because I was once human myself."

**~ Leave me a review. :) Semblance**


End file.
